The Unofficial AllGames Group Update: Day #4

Today, the fourth day of the 2014 NCAA Tournament, saw the loss of two top teams.  This was to be expected as we go further into the tournament, but today saw another day of upheaval in the Unofficial AllGames Group.  Seven of the eleven entries incorrectly picked Kansas to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, and ten of the eleven entries incorrectly picked Wichita State to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.  In fact, none of the entries in the Unofficial AllGames Group made both picks correctly.  Some made it out worse than others.

ShadowNextGen picked Wichita State to win the entire 2014 NCAA Basketball Tournament.  Thanks to today's developments, ShadowNextGen now has the third lowest potential points remaining.  The only entries with less potential points remaining is two entries submitted by dcNate.  If Florida doesn't advance to the Championship game. ShadowNextGen may join dcNate in the cellar.

The current leader of the Unofficial AllGames Group is DoomPlague.  DoomPlague correctly picked all four of the teams in the West Region that advanced to the Sweet Sixteen, and, considering the potential opponents of both of his choices for the Championship game, the possibility is there for DoomPlague to accrue a lot of points going forward.  The only entrant in this group with more potential points is Cgu11.  A showoff between Cgu11's picks and DoomPlague's picks may be what ultimately decides the winner of this group.

There are two entries that went with a pure chalk approach in this group.  Those entries are owned by dcNate and mattober100.  If Florida loses at any point during this year's NCAA Tournament, both of these entries may make quite a rise in the rankings.  They may tie for the lead, but tying for the lead is better than not having it at all.

Your humble narrator has little to no chance to win this entry.  As eluded to before, the winner may come down to either DoomPlague or Cgu11.  Both of these users's success may depend on how much success Florida has going forward in the tournament.  Between the two currently at the top, that which will decide the winner may be the performance of Michigan.  We will see how the wins and losses of much vaunted teams will further affect this group as it goes forward.

Clarification On Kansas's Rejection Of Common Core Standards

On Monday, reports started circulating about the Kansas Republican Party passing several resolutions.  Included in these was one demanding state leaders reject the Common Core standards and prohibit the adoption of new science standards.  Most of the reporting on this story focused on Kansas's dubious history as it relates to science education, specifically citing the Kansas Evolution Hearings held in 2005.  However, the issue that the Kansas Republican Party has with science education may have less to do with the science part and more to do with the education part of the Common Core standards.

Politicians in Kansas have cited the "religious liberty" of the students as the motivating factor for passing this resolution.  When asked by this publication for a clarification, State GOP Chair Kelly Arnold gave the following statement:

"It is a great concern for us, as well as all conservative politicians, that the religious liberty of all people, no matter their age, be protected.  All citizens should be free to worship as they please, and our public education system must not infringe on a person's religious beliefs.  So, if someone believes that the very act of learning information, outside of what is taught in church and in the home, is against God's will, that belief must be protected.  That is the motivating factor behind this resolution.  We do not want to force anybody's belief system down their throats.  We want to prevent people from forcing education down the throats of the unwilling.  That is what I, and the Kansas Republican Party believes in."

So, after wading through the questionable violent sexual imagery contained in that comment, the true motives behind the resolution in question appears clear.  It's not that the Kansas Republican Party doesn't want evolution taught in public schools.  The Kansas Republican Party doesn't want anything taught in the public schools.